


Written in Stone

by Multishipperlove



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caduceus is baby, Clay Siblings - Freeform, Gen, Naming Ceremony, No Spoilers, POV Constance Clay, Reference to Episode 106, Trans Caduceus Clay, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:02:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25905523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Multishipperlove/pseuds/Multishipperlove
Summary: What if Caduceu's idea to have every person that decides to leave Vo leave a stone with their name on it came from personal experience? What if Caduceus, too, left behind another name at some point?
Relationships: Caduceus Clay & Constance Clay, Caduceus Clay & Cornelius Clay
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77





	Written in Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Have some teeny tiny trans Caduceus because of course my brain went there after the last episode. Enjoy, and I always appreciate comments! 💜

Constance was tending to the garden, cutting off all the faded syringa flowers so the bushes would blossom a second time in the summer, when she heard the excited pitter patter of quick footsteps approaching. Turning around just in time she saw her youngest- well, second youngest now- child running her way, throwing himself at her legs with a wide smile and even brighter eyes. “Mama mama! Guess what Calliope and I just found!” 

His current volume made her more glad than anything that she'd left little Clarabelle with Cornelius, but she simply smiled and leaned down to pick him up, settling him securely at her hip as the little boy wrapped both arms around her. “What did you find, darling?” she asked, now seeing Calliope coming over as well, much calmer than her brother though. 

“We found my new name!” he told her proudly, ears flicking forward for a moment. “An' Calli even told me it starts with a C this time, so it's a good name.” 

“Is that so?” Constance wasn't quite able to hide her amusement, even as Calliope finally joined them. “It was very nice of you to help him with it,” she told her oldest daughter, reaching out with one hand to smooth her hair down. 

Calli just shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, but it was still obvious that she enjoyed the praise a little. “Someone had to help him with his letters, right? Or he would have picked another name with K instead...”

“And that would have been alright too,” Constance agreed, tapping her son's nose though as he immediately stuck his tongue out at his sister, making him scrunch up his little pink nose in indignation. “But I have to admit that it makes me very happy that you decided to keep the family tradition. Should we tell everyone at dinner then?” 

The boy in her arms hummed softly, before shrugging as well. “I was kinda hoping we could wait until aunt Corrin comes back? She's been gone so long now, I miss her... and I want her to know about it, too.” 

“We will write her a letter, how about that?” she offered instead, tucking her sheers away in a back pocket and taking Calli's hand, taking both of the children back to the house. “I know you miss her, but it might still take a while before we see her again.” 

Holding back a sigh she lead them to the little washroom first, making sure they were at least a little bit cleaned up for dinner. Mud and firbolg fuzz didn't mix well. She missed her sister too, but Corrin was doing important work at the moment. It was the price they paid for their service to the Wildmother sometimes, and with a bit of luck she would be the last Clay to leave on these incredibly long missions. They had to find a cure at some point. 

Despite her attempt at reassuring him, she could see her son's ears droop again. “But I was really hoping she'd be here for this,” he mumbled. “She was here when everyone else was named...”

“Now, that's not quite fair,” Constance chided him gently. “She was here when you were named, too. When she left, we didn't really know yet that we'd be introducing you to the Wildmother a second time, did we.” For the longest time they had gotten by with nicknames, calling him 'little bug' or even just 'little one', since he just hadn't been able to decide on anything else. All in all it hadn't been a difficult change for them, very easy actually as long as it made their baby boy happy. But after witnessing the naming ceremony of little Clarabelle, he'd started to demand one for himself as well. Apparently they were getting closer to that now. 

He still grumbled about it as he leaned into her side, dragging his feet now on the way to the kitchen. With a kiss to his temple she picked him up again for a moment, before securely settling him down in his chair. “Now, no pouting. You had such exciting news to share.” 

-*-

Caduceus. The new name turned out to be Caduceus. 

Constance had to admit that it wasn't a name she would have thought of herself, but she loved it fiercely. It was unique, and a little bit eccentric, and in her opinion it fit their little boy perfectly. It had gotten approval from everyone else as well, and now that they'd spend a few days preparing for the ceremony they were ready to make it official. 

They had all gotten up a bit earlier than usual, before sunrise, and while Cornelius had stayed behind to get the children ready, Constance had already made her way to the small clearing where they held most of their important gatherings. In the early twilight she placed down a few pillows and adorned the shrine with fresh offerings. Flower cuttings from their garden (pink carnations, Caduceus' current favorite), a fresh loaf of bread with a small bowl of salt beside it, a jar filled with clear water, a few ounces of incense. A humble offering, all in all, but it was all they had been able to give on such short notice. 

Leaving the incense unlit for now Constance took a quiet moment to herself. She prayed, despite already feeling secure in the knowledge that the Wildmother would accept her son as he was, just as she had accepted him as her daughter just a few seasons prior. He would grow up in her light and guidance, know her love as surely as his family's, there was no doubt about that. No, what she asked for was guidance for herself, to make the right decisions and help her son become the man he wanted to be one day, whatever that entailed. 

Eventually she could hear her family approaching, mainly Cornelius trying to hush the children as they reached the sacred space, and turned around with a smile to greet them. They were all dressed in some of their finer cloth, all looking a little excited, except for Caduceus himself who was holding on to his father's hand rather tightly and seemed to be all but hiding behind his legs. 

“Someone's a little nervous,” Cornelius told her, one corner of his mouth raising into a loopsided grin. “But I think we got everything we need.” 

“That's good,” she replied softly, leaning down for a moment to give Caduceus a gentle kiss on the forehead. As she straightened up again she took the colorful bundle of cloth that Clarabelle was wrapped up in, glad that the baby was at least quieter than she'd been for her own naming ceremony. Leaving Cornelius with their little boy she went to settle down with the two older children, making sure to give them each a kiss in greeting as well. They were both obviously tired, not quite used to getting up this early, but at least they still looked genuinely excited for their brother. 

Returning her gaze to the shrine she saw Caduceus and Cornelius standing in front of it now, her husband kneeling down as he helped clumsy hands with lighting the incense. Then they pulled back, Cornelius keeping his sturdy arms around the small frame in front of him. 

“We are here today,” he started, his deep voice ringing out, clear as the daylight that slowly started filtering through the canopy, “ to introduce an important addition to our family. And we ask you, Wildmother, to take him in as your own, as you do for all children of Exandria, and as you have done for all of us.”

Apparently finally loosing some of his nervousness Caduceus reached up to tug on his father's sleeves, getting him to pause his speech and look down. “You gotta tell her that I've been here before,” Caduceus whispered. “She has to know who I am!”

“Right, right... oh, do you want to place your stone?” Cornelius asked, just as Constance heard Colton grumble beside her, taking her attention for a moment. 

“He's disrupting the ceremony, he shouldn't do that,” her oldest griped, quiet enough that Caduceus and Cornelius probably couldn't hear him but still causing her to roll her eyes. 

“It's his ceremony, I'm sure the Wildmother will understand,” she whispered back to him, still reaching out to rub his back a little in reassurance though. “Now hush, this is important for your brother.” 

Falling quiet again she looked up just as her husband handed Caduceus a big stone, and she frowned a little as she did not recognise this part of the ceremony. But as Caduceus shyly approached the shrine and placed it down she could see it had his old name etched into it, something Cornelius had probably helped with. After setting it down Caduceus stopped, seemingly just staring at the shrine in awe for a few moments, before he hurried back to his father and came to stand in front of him again. 

Cornelius just smiled, running a hand through the short pink hair before continuing with his speech. “As you can see, we have been here with him before. It was many seasons ago though, and he has since informed us that we have done it all wrong.” 

Constance couldn't help but chuckle at that. Informing them was an understatement. But Cornelius continued, and she did her best to grow a bit more serious again. 

“He would hereby like to return his old name to you, a gift he will no longer need, and respectfully asks to be known as-” His voice rose a little in the end, almost like he was asking a question, and he gave Caduceus a gentle nudge. It took a second, and for a moment Constance was afraid he wouldn't answer at all, but when he finally spoke up his voice was surprisingly sturdy. “Caduceus. My name is Caduceus Clay.” 

Silence fell over them as they waited. One second. Two. Three. Constance bit her lip. It had never taken this long to get a sign from the Wildmother after introducing family. But just as her chest started to get uncomfortably tight she saw Caduceus eyes going wide, and followed his gaze back to the stone now settled on top of the shrine. 

It was starting to overgrow with pink lichen, slow at first but then spreading at an unnatural speed, until the letters that had been carved into it so carefully were completely unreadable. Then a slight breeze picked up, clearly swirling around Cornelius and Caduceus with an almost playful energy as it flicked up the boy's hair and made him giggle in delight. Constance could hear the almost universal sigh of relief that went through her family at that point, and her earlier anxiety was giving way to an almost giddy sense of euphoria. 

Seeing that her husband now had to keep their son from chasing after the gust of wind made her laugh again, especially when it only seemed manageable by firmly settling the little firbolg on his hip again. Melora help them if Caduceus ever got too big to be picked up. Deciding to help, and wanting to congratulate her son to his new name, she finally got up and went over to them. And just as she reached the two, the family now close together again as Calliope and Colton had followed her, and Clarabelle was still securely held in her arms, she felt the brief presence of a warm hand settling on her shoulder. As always, the Wildmother had heard her prayers.


End file.
